Deeplinks Blog posts about Coders' Rights Project

Coders have never been more important to the security of the Internet. By identifying and disclosing vulnerabilities, coders are able to improve security for every user who depends on information systems for their daily life and work. Yet this week, European Parliament will debate a new draft of a vague and sweeping computer crime legislation that threatens to create legal woes for researchers who expose security flaws.

With weeks left to go on our third annual fundraising contest, supporters have already raised over $4,000 in donations to help support EFF and the Coders’ Rights Project! Our thanks to The Holy Handgrenades leading the pack at $1,410.78, with last year’s Grand Prize Winners InfoSec Daily Podcast (ISDPodcast) at $801, followed closely by the dc404 crew at $675. You’re doing great!EFF’s annual D(EFF)CONtest helps fund tireless legal defense, activism, counseling, and community education for professional security researchers and tinkerers alike. Through these donor-supported efforts, EFF stands behind everyone who values knowledge and the freedom to innovate.

Two weeks ago, Steve Wozniak made a public call for Apple to open its platforms for those who wish to tinker, tweak and innovate with their internals.

EFF supports Wozniak's position: while Apple's products have many virtues, they are marred by an ugly set of restrictions on what users and programmers can do with them. This is most especially true of iOS, though other Apple products sometimes suffer in the same way. In this article we will delve into the kinds of restrictions that Apple, phone companies, and Microsoft have been imposing on mobile computers; the excuses these companies make when they impose these restrictions; the dangers this is creating for open innovation; why Apple in particular should lead the way in fixing this mess. We also propose a bill of rights that need to be secured for people who are purchasing smartphones and other pocket computers.

As the European Parliament considers passing a directive that would target hacking, EFF has submitted comments urging the legislators not to create legal woes for researchers who expose security flaws.

In a potentially troublesome decision, a federal district court has found that a start-up violated anti-spam and computer crime laws by creating and marketing a browser to let users view their social networking accounts in one place. The case demonstrates the difficulties facing those who seek to empower users to interact with closed services like Facebook in new and innovative ways.